Shiftable rotary operative fastener



Dec. 14, 1 948. F.- E. JOHNSON 2,456,559

SHIFTABLE ROTARY OPERATIVE FASTENER Filed Oct. 12, 1944 x5 mil/III 175mm E! Jan/man.

I mmzxw Patented Dec. 14, 1948 SHIFTABLE ROTARY OPERATIVE FASTENER Frank E. Johnson, Malden, Mass, assignor to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge,

Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 12, 1944, Serial No. 558,418

4 Claims.

in rotary operative fasteners such as those employed for connecting together airplane cowling sheets, and aims generally to improve existing fasteners of this type.

More particularly the invention provides a novel and improved mounting for the female fastener part of such fastener whereby the female fastener part may be shiftably mounted relative to an aperture in a support to which it is attached to facilitate the alignment of the female fastener part with the rotary stud member mounted in the part to be attached to the support.

A further object is the provision of a simple and efficient mounting or attaching member which may be formed of a single piece of light weight sheet metal, heat-treated separately from the fastener member yet readily assembled therewith when connecting the attaching member to the support.

Other aims and objects of the invention will be apparent to those persons skilled in the art from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and annexed specification illustrating and describing a preferred form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a rotary operative fastener installation embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, the rotary stud member of the fastener being shown in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the fastener as taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the female fastener attaching plate according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional viewof the fastener attaching plate shown in Fig. 4 as taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, the left side being shown in preassembly position and the right showing after assembly position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the invention provides new and improved means for shiftably attaching a female socket or fastener member to a suitably apertured support, such as one of the parts of airplane cowling, though it is to be understood that the invention is susceptible of general application and is not restricted to such use.

Rotary operative type fasteners, such as those used for securing airplane cowling sheets together, usually include a female fastener or socket member I suitably attached to one side of an apertured supporting sheet 2 and adapted to receive and interlock with a rotary male fastener member 3 rotatably mounted in a part 4 to be secured to the support 2. The rotary male fastener element may be formed with lateral projec tions such as radial arms 3a, adapted to overlie and be engaged with a locking seat of the female fastener l spaced outwardly from the support 2. Upon turning of the rotary male fastener member 3 the lateral projections thereof will engage the seat and thus hold the support 2 and part 4 in rigid fastened relationship.

The female fastener or socket member may be of any approved type and construction to receive and lockingly cooperate with a rotary male element 3. Preferably, it includes abase 5 formed with longitudinal bearing extensions 6 and a centrally apertured outwardly dished seat 1. In the illustrated form the socket member I is of the type disclosed and claimed in the prior patent of William A. Bedford, Jr., No. 2,306,928, granted December 29, 1942, to which reference is made for a more complete disclosure of a preferred type of female fastener member.

The invention provides an improved attaching plate for shiftably mounting the female fastener or socket member I and for attaching it to its support 2 overlying the aperture thereof. According 'to the-invention the attaching means comprises a substantially flat elongated plate It! formed of thin sheet metal and having an enlarged central aperture ll, through which the male fastener member 3 on the part 4 to be secured to the support 2, may be passed. The portions of the plate surrounding the aperture ll provide a slidable bearing surface for the female fastener part I.

According to one embodiment of the invention, illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, the opposite end portions of the plate beyond the aperture l I may be reversely folded to provide spaced inner and outer wallslZ and I3 respectively, the terminal end of the inner Wall being inwardly flanged as at M providing a spacer for said walls and being transversely notched or slotted as at l5 to receive and retain the bearing extensions 6 of said fastener part I. The inner and outer walls 12 and 13 are preferably apertured as at l6 intermediate the outer ends of the flanges 14 for the reception of attaching means such as rivets I! or the like for securing the plate 2 to the support. The inner and outer walls l2 and I3, beyond the flanges [4 may be of reduced width to reduce the weight of the attaching plate and installation.

The spacing between opposed spacer flanges I4 is preferably greater than the base of the socket metal stock, for example sheet steel, and then separately heat-treated to increase the strength thereof and resistance to distortion under stress. If desired, the respective parts may-be. plated, prior to assembly, to increase smoothness of the cooperating sliding surfaces.

The attaching plate is preferably initially formed with the reversely bent socket retainer portions l2, obliquely dis-posed. with reference to' the surfaces l3, as shown at the left side of Fig. 5. In this position the socket member I" may be readily assembled with the attaching plate as .thenplate iitfis. to be attached to the support 2,: at. which time the inner walls i 2 'are drawn ta substantial parallel relationcwith the (outer walis'bytheapplication of the rivets 1 1, as shown atathe rig ht side of mg. 5".

The. above: described embodiment of the inventinn' is particularly advanta eous in: that the respectivel parts may be separately heat treated and plated prior' to assembly and thus may be made from ex tremely thin and light weight material. Inasmuch as the-attaching rivets l'-l pass throngl i and engage both theinner and outer walls lahand*l 3 ,-adequate strength is provided forthe retainer for the bearing' extensions adjacent thereto'and in the longitudinal plane of the extensions Where'it is most useful.

The invention is not 'to-be restricted to the particular form-shown in the drawings which is intended f'or illustrative purposes only; and the scope of the i'nventionisbest defined in the appended claims.

1. Attaching means for'shif'tably' attaching a female fastener member of the. rotary operative type to an apertured support comprising a plate having a relatively flat centrally aperturedb'od-y providing a slid'able bearing surface for said fastener' member, opposed extensions for connecting said plateto a support, and aretainer' formed on and as an overlying continuation of each of said extensions adapted to overlie apart of a fastener mem'ber,said overlying retainer having lateral spacing means extended toward said plat'eand providing side liini'ting means 'for'limiting lateral shiI'ftingcf a fastener member on the plate and each of said opposed eXtensions'and the retainer overlying-it having cooperating 'apertures for receiving fastening means for-securing said? retainer against outwarcl displacement from said extension.

' "2C Attaching" means forshiftably attaching a female fastener member of the rotary operative type to an apertured support comprising a plate having a relatively fiat centrally apertured body providing a slidable bearing surface for said fastener member, opposed extensions for connecting said plate to a support, and a retainer formed on and as an overlying continuation of each of said extensions adapted to overlie a part of afastener member, said overlying retainer having inwardly turned spaced end portions for 1 limiting lateral shifting of a fastener member on :said plate and sa d retainer and the adjacent extension having cooperating apertures for receiving fastening means for securing said retainer against outward displacement from said extension.

3; Attaching means for shiftably attaching a female fastener member of the rotary operative type to an apertured support comprising a plate having a relatively flat centrally apertured body providing a -sl'idable bearing surface 'forsaid fastener member; opposedextensions for conmeeting said plate to a support, and a retainer formed onand asan overlying continuationof each of said extensions adapted tooverliea part of a fastener member, said overlying retainers having inwardly turned transversely slotted ter-" minal ends for receiving parts of a fastener member mounted on said plate, sai'd retainers and' said opposed extensions having cooperatingfastener-receivingmeans for securing said retainer against outward displ'acernent from: said extension.

4. Attaching means for shiftably attaching a female fastener of the rotary operative type toan aperturedsupport comprising a plate having a' relatively flat centrally aperture'd body provid -f ing a slidable bearing surface for said fastener member; opposed extensions for connecting said: plate to a support, and a retainer formedlon and as an overlying continuation of'eachof-said extensions adapted to-overlie a partof'a fastener member, lateral spacing means disposed between said retainersand said plate and'providing a" side limiting means fonlimiting lateral shifting of a fastener member on the plate, and said opposed extensions and-said retainers having cooperating apertures for receiving fastening means for securing said retainer against outward displace mentfrom'said extension.

' FRANK E. JOHNSON.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references care-of reoord'in the file of this ,patent:

UNITED *STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,1?221314; Bedford, J-r June 2 2, 1943' 2,327,331 'Pender Aug. 17, 19 3 2,407,815 Churchill Sept. 2'7, 1946' 

